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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 17 sepTember 2019
Continued from Front damage at the heart of the
"That was an attack on kingdom's crucial Abqaiq
Saudi Arabia," he said. oil processing plant and a
"It wasn't an attack on us, key oil field, and two U.S.
but we would certainly officials said the attackers
help them," he said, noting used multiple cruise missiles
a decades-long alliance and drone aircraft.
linked to U.S. oil depen- Private experts said the
dence that has lessened in satellite images show the
recent years. The U.S. has attackers had detailed
no treaty obligation to de- knowledge of which tanks
fend Saudi Arabia. and machinery to hit within
Trump said he was sending the sprawling Saudi oil pro-
Pompeo to Saudi Arabia cessing facility at Abqaiq
"to discuss what they feel" to cripple production. But
about the attack and an "satellite imagery can't
appropriate response. show you where the attack
One U.S. official, speaking originated from," said Joe
on condition of anonym- Bermudez, an expert at the
ity to discuss internal delib- Center for Strategic and In-
erations, said the U.S. was ternational Studies who ex-
considering dispatching amined the images. In this Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 file photo, made from a video broadcast on the Saudi-owned
additional military resourc- "What the photos indicate Al-Arabiya satellite news channel, smoke from a fire at the Abqaiq oil processing facility fills the
es to the Gulf but that no is that someone planned a skyline, in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia.
decisions had been made. sophisticated, coordinated Associated Press
The U.S. already has the USS attack that really impact-
Abraham Lincoln aircraft ed the production of oil at was no rush to retaliate. solutely no chance of a The U.S. and internation-
carrier battle group in the this facility," he said. Jon Alterman, the chief meeting between the two al benchmarks for crude
area, as well as fighter jets, The U.S. alleges the pattern Middle East expert at the presidents," spokesman Ali each vaulted more than
bombers, reconnaissance of destruction suggested Center for Strategic and In- Rabiei said. 14%, comparable to the
aircraft and air defenses. Saturday's attack did not ternational Studies, said the Downplaying any talk of 14.5% spike in oil on Aug. 6,
Trump, alternating be- come from neighboring Saudi caution reflects the imminent U.S. military ac- 1990, following Iraq's inva-
tween aggressive and non- Yemen, as claimed by Ira- kingdom's wariness of tak- tion, Vice President Mike sion of Kuwait.
violent reactions, said the nian-backed Houthi rebels ing on Iran. Pence's chief of staff, Marc U.S. stocks were down but
U.S. could respond "with there. A Saudi military al- "I don't think there's a great Short, told reporters at the only modestly. Major stock
an attack many, many leged "Iranian weapons" independent Saudi capa- White House that Trump's indexes in Europe also fell.
times larger" but also "I'm had been used. bility to respond," he said. "locked and loaded" was Markets in Asia finished
not looking at options right The Saudis invited United "You don't want to start a "a broad term that talks mixed.
now." Nations and other interna- war with Iran that you don't about the realities that" the At a news conference,
American officials released tional experts to help in- have an idea how you're U.S. is "safer and more se- Saudi military spokesman
satellite images of the vestigate, suggesting there going to end." cure domestically from en- Col. Turki al-Maliki said, "All
In New York, the new U.S. ergy independence." the indications and opera-
ambassador to the United The new violence has led tional evidence, and the
Nations, Kelly Craft, con- to fears that further action weapons that were used in
demned the attack and on any side could rapidly the terrorist attack, whether
said that "emerging infor- escalate a confrontation in Buqayq or Khurais, indi-
mation indicates that re- that's been raging just be- cate with initial evidence
sponsibility lies with Iran." low the surface in the wid- that these weapons are
At the Pentagon, Defense er Persian Gulf in recent Iranian weapons."
Secretary Mark Esper sug- months. Russia's Foreign Ministry,
gested Iranian involve- There already have been while expressing "grave
ment, too. In a series of mysterious attacks on oil concern" about the attack,
tweets after meeting with tankers that Washington warned against putting the
Trump and other senior na- blames on Tehran, at least blame on Iran, saying that
tional security officials, Es- one suspected Israeli strike plans of military retalia-
per said the administration on Shiite forces in Iraq, and tion against Iran would be
was working with partner the downing of a U.S. mili- unacceptable.q
nations "to address this un- tary surveillance drone by
precedented attack and Iran.
defend the international Those tensions have in-
rules-based order that is creased ever since Trump
being undermined by Iran." pulled the U.S. out of Iran's
Iran rejected the allega- 2015 agreement with world
tions, and a government powers that curtailed Ira-
spokesman said there now nian nuclear activities and
is "absolutely no chance" the U.S. re-imposed sanc-
of a hoped-for meeting tions that sent Iran's econ-
between Iranian President omy into freefall.
Hassan Rouhani and Trump The weekend attack halt-
at the U.N. General Assem- ed production of 5.7 mil-
bly next week. lion barrels of crude a day,
"Currently we don't see more than half of Saudi
any sign from the Ameri- Arabia's global daily ex-
cans which has honesty in ports and more than 5% of
it, and if the current state the world's daily crude oil
continues there will be ab- production.